The Lake County School Board reviewed the district’s emergency operations plan and discussed a set of proposed physical-security upgrades — including metal scanners, perimeter fencing and other perimeter-control measures — at its Jan. 13, 2025 meeting.

Board member Vivian moved to approve the emergency operations plan during the meeting; the motion was seconded by Jimmy Dale and took affirmative votes during roll call. The board limited detailed discussion of the plan in open session, noting that further questions would require executive session because of operational sensitivity.

Separately, the board reviewed recommendations from a security assessment done with Homeland Security and a scope-of-work report from Schneider Electric and its contractor (Holts/Holt Construction). The Schneider group is coordinating assessments and follow-up construction bids for fencing, entryway improvements and repairs to open exterior corridors at Lake County High School. Board members said the district’s priority list will guide which projects move forward.

The board discussed grant-funded options to buy entry scanners (the Cochran grant/narrative cited roughly $398,000 in available funding). Staff said the quoted scanner system (brand: Evolve) is the second-generation model and comes with ongoing subscription costs; buying all equipment outright would require a larger upfront commitment. Board members asked whether metal detectors or single-point screening areas could be used instead of scanning every elementary student and expressed concern about training, staff time and logistics.

Because the scanner quote exceeded initial expectations, a member moved to table final action on scanners and related scope decisions until next month when Schneider is expected to provide a detailed scope of work and cost estimates. The motion to table was made and recorded; the meeting record indicates the board intends to revisit the prioritization and funding at the February meeting.

Board members also discussed alternatives to chain-link fencing for playgrounds and asked staff to consider materials and costs; one member cited an estimated cost of about $150,000 for higher-end fencing at a particular site. The board acknowledged that some security items could be paid from a Cochran grant while others would require use of fund balance.

The board asked staff to produce a prioritized list of security projects, the Schneider scope of work, and refined cost estimates for consideration at the next regular meeting.